In addition to working with designs, I have also practiced using written information as a source of inspiration. I'll let everybody know something about my potential goal in life: to become a graphic designer that creates logos or advertisements. Ever since I was young, I was always intrigued by the fact that logos not only told us about a brand but how they all looked different and established their own image. The design elements within a logo tell us almost everything we need to know about a company's goal and its presentation. Are there logos that you have come across as iconic, or something you positively associate with? Do some companies do a great job with their promotions, branding, and marketing to get you hooked? Some logos are iconic to where you can tell what it is even with typography and color stripped away from them. Understanding this, I wanted to create a logo that could demonstrate an understanding of a target audience, and what's expected from a client. For this example, this is the logo for the Hudson Valley Inn, a fictional company. This was originally a project from a few years ago that I have currently touched upon for a cleaner appearance. The original assignment was to create an original logo for this company and to fit within a "Fall" theme. In this case, the logo was edited for a more universal appearance, with the Fall elements removed.
Hudson Valley Inn (Fictional Brand) Logo (2020/2022 Edit).
As we can see, the logo utilizes the Hudson Bridge as an important symbol to show the Inn's connection to Hudson Valley. I used a photograph of the bridge's structure as a reference and then recreated the bridge in Illustrator. One of the design philosophies I remembered to take into account is the use of a simplistic, but not too basic design approach. The body of water underneath and the mountains contain a single fill to create the basic shape, as a more complex texture would distract the eyes from the bridge. Circular logos are common for local inns from my research, so I decided to come up with a circular logo of my own. To complement this, the text curves around the circular shape to prevent awkward positioning of typographic elements. All of these aspects were important to consider, as a logo should leave a positive impression on the audience.
Since this is a more flexible version of the logo, it can be used during any season. I consider this to be one of my experiments prior to creating a logo for a professional organization. The goal was to create a logo that promotes the Hudson Valley Inn and contains themes that connect with the brand. As I briefly described, a circular logo showing one of the most recognizable landmarks in Hudson Valley quickly attracts the viewer. A quick glance at the logo should be enough to get the idea, and this is an important marketing step.
